


Your body gone, we shall keep the man

by Dionte



Category: Tales of Symphonia
Genre: Angst, F/M, Friendship, Gen, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Kratos' Path Spoilers, Love and Loss
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-14
Updated: 2016-12-14
Packaged: 2018-09-08 14:33:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,616
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8848756
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dionte/pseuds/Dionte
Summary: Sometimes you don't know what you have until it's gone.
Kratos' Path AU, where Colette realizes that she may have loved the Chosen far too late.





	

Colette didn’t believe them when they told her. There was no way, absolutely no way that Zelos was dead. When they left the tower Zelos would be there, laughing, teasing, and probably about to get slapped by Sheena.

 

But he didn’t appear.

 

Later, Colette asked for more details, and sunk into silence. Though he betrayed her, somewhere deep inside Zelos must have believed in them. Must have wanted to help her. He wouldn’t have told them where she was otherwise. She kept a smile on her face and told this to the others, deciding to believe in him even if it didn’t much matter anymore. She decided that no matter what, she would protect Lloyd, and she would honor Zelos’ sacrifice for her.

 

When they defeated Mithos, and everything ended, she finally felt empty.

 

They celebrated in Meltokio, but something was missing. Someone was missing.

 

* * *

 

Zelos’ funeral was a grand affair. Colette attended it while she took over his duties as the Chosen of Tethe’alla. There were probably thousands of people crowding the gravesite, weeping.

 

* * *

 

“Sorry Colette, we have to go.”

 

She smiled, nodding, as her friends left her behind. Everyone had their own missions, their own purposes to accomplish. Of course they would leave her- and Zelos- behind. It was only natural. That didn’t mean she thought it was right.

 

“Hey, Colette, I was planning on sticking around for a couple more days. Do you-?”

 

She was grateful Sheena seemed to feel the same.

 

* * *

 

“Colette, we’ve gotta move on. We’ve been coming here every day for a week.”

 

Colette forced herself to smile, not sure if it would cover how conflicted she felt over the ninja’s words. “I know.”

 

Sheena sighed. “Okay, well, I’ve got a new mission I have to do. Please, Colette… Take care of yourself.”

 

Colette looked to Sheena, giving a smile. “Ehehe, don’t worry. I’ll be fine.”

 

Sheena’s face filled with relief, and Colette only briefly felt sorry for tricking her. Lloyd’s words from the journey of regeneration filled her mind.

 

_You always do that fake giggle when you lie._

 

* * *

 

One day, as she stood before the grave a voice rang from behind her.

 

“Chosen of Regeneration.”

 

Colette turned to the girl behind her. Red hair, like Zelos’.

 

“Seles.”

 

“Why are you here?”

 

Colette turned her attention back to the grave, hand back at her side. She opened her mouth to say something, but the words wouldn’t come. “Sorry.”

 

Seles was enraged. “Sorry?! Is that all you can say? He died because of you!”

 

Colette felt a weight settle on her shoulders. All the deaths on this journey… All of them were her fault. If she weren’t the Chosen, none of this would have happened, but no matter how much she regretted it, she couldn’t bring them back. Zelos would never come back, and it hurt. She felt an ache deep in her chest, but didn’t let herself dwell on it.

 

“I’m sorry,” she whispered, and ran out of the graveyard.

 

* * *

 

The next day, she returned with a bundle of flowers and some incense. Lighting the incense, she laid down the flowers and got on her knees to pray.

 

Perhaps it was her upbringing, but she felt more comfortable this way.

 

“I don’t know if you can hear me, but I wanted to apologize to you, and thank you. I’m sorry we didn’t trust you, but I believe in you. I believe that you saved me, even though you betrayed us. I believe you regretted betraying me, and I wish I could have saved you. I wish… You hadn’t stayed behind. I-” She felt tears rising beneath her eyelids. “I wish I-”

 

“Chosen?”

 

Colette jolted up, trying to blink away the tears. “Seles, I- I’m sorry, I’m- I was just leaving, I promise-”

 

“No- I, uh.” Seles floundered, trying to glare, but the look was oddly weak. She settled for a pout. “Were you praying?”

 

“Oh. Yes.”

 

“I see.”

 

They stood together, silently, wondering what to say. Finally, it was Seles who broke the silence.

 

“Sorry. For yesterday.”

 

She didn’t wait for Colette to respond, turning tail and running from the graveyard.

 

* * *

 

It became a tradition. Every day, Colette bought the same bouquet and incense to offer a short prayer for Zelos. Seles was always there when she finished, and they would spend a small time in the silence of each other’s company. Eventually, they began to talk.

 

“How are your duties?”

 

“I’m getting used to them now.” She looked to the grave, then turned her eyes to the ground. “I have to return to Iselia. Then I’ll have to travel around the world, again.”

 

Seles glanced at her, humming in thought.

 

* * *

 

“Why do you visit his grave everyday? Surely you’re busy with the duties of being Chosen?”

 

Colette floundered for a moment, before grimacing. “It feels wrong.”

 

Seles snapped her attention to the Chosen. “What do you mean?”

 

“Zelos… He… He was a part of our group. He did so much for us, for me. I feel like I’m dishonoring him, dishonoring everyone if I’m not here. But it’s seems I’m the only one who feels this way.”

 

“It’s not your responsibility.”

 

“B-but-”

 

“No. It really isn’t. I apologized for what I said weeks ago, and I was serious about it. Zelos wouldn’t have blamed you. And he wouldn’t want you to beat yourself up over it.”

 

Colette couldn’t reply.

 

* * *

 

“You know, just because someone has passed on, and you loved them, it doesn’t mean you should get stuck in the life they could or should have lived. You have to move on.”

 

Colette wondered how long the redhead had been keeping that spiel in. “I don’t know if I can.”

 

“I know. I’m not going to say it’s easy, the pain will always be there. But after a while it feels more dull.” Seles glanced at her. “I know from experience.”

 

They fell again into silence.

 

* * *

 

“Why those flowers?” Seles blurted out.

 

“W-what?”

 

“The bouquet, why do you always bring that bouquet?”

 

“O-oh, um… I just got them that one day, and I liked it, I guess. It’s a nice bouquet, isn’t it?”

 

“You realize that bouquet is basically a confession of love?”

 

“H-huh?”

 

“Those flowers. They all have different meanings, but they basically say you loved him.”

 

Colette felt her face turn red. “O-oh. I-I… I didn’t know. I just liked how they looked.”

 

They stood there, silent and unsure of each other, before Seles left. Colette lingered, giving the flowers one last strange look before she returned to the inn.

 

* * *

 

Colette wasn’t able to visit the grave again for a month.

 

She traveled and ministered with the Church of Martel, trying to adjust her people to this new world. When she was finally able to return to Meltokio, to the grave, there was no one there. There was a clumsy flower crown, a sign of Seles’ visit, and Colette chuckled brokenly.

 

* * *

 

The next time she saw Seles was the first anniversary of Zelos’ death. Many more people approached the grave, their loud lamentations grating on Colette’s ears.

 

“Amazing that so many people turn up for the anniversary, but not during the year itself.”

 

Colette chuckled as she silently agreed with Seles’ acerbic words. They had tea at Zelos’ mansion afterwards, chatting like old friends. Colette found herself remembering just how precious Zelos had considered this young woman, and realized Seles was right. It hurt, but the pain had dulled over the past year.

 

The sky was beginning to turn dark, and Colette began looking around restlessly. She would have to leave again soon.

 

“... Could you visit again?”

 

Eyes wide, she turned to Seles. “H-huh?”

 

“I- uh. I’d like you to visit again. You can consider m-my house open to you, whenever you’re in the area.”

 

Colette politely ignored her slip-up, beaming at the younger girl. If it wasn’t the full brightness she normally smiled with, Seles refrained from commenting on it.

 

* * *

 

Whenever she was able, Colette made the trip to Meltokio, to Zelos and Seles. When her assistance was called upon for the troubles in the world once again, Colette answered. She looked for Lloyd, believing in him, and feeling incredibly lonely. She wondered why she was the only one searching for him, and hearing the teasing voices about her affection for him, she froze.

 

Did she like Lloyd? Of course.

 

Did she love Lloyd?

 

He wasn’t who came to mind when she thought about it. The one she cared for the most had changed over two years ago.

 

* * *

 

As soon as the worlds were again at peace, Colette returned to Meltokio, pounding on the door to Seles’ mansion. Fear and questions were on the younger girl’s face, as Colette practically dragged her to the graveyard.

 

They stood in silence, like old times, before Zelos’ engraved name. Seles shifted from foot to foot, and after minutes dragged by, she finally gave up on the Chosen bringing up her purpose by herself.

 

“What’s going on, Colette?”

 

Colette took a deep breath.

 

“I think the bouquet was right.”

 

Seles cocked her head.

 

“I didn’t think about it during the journey. At the time, I was so caught up in saving the world and helping Lloyd, but I think the bouquet was right.”

 

Realization dawned on Seles’ face.

 

“I think I was falling for Zelos.” Tears rolled down Colette’s cheeks. “And now it’s too late.” Seles reached for the Chosen, hesitating before she made contact, and drew her hands back. Colette continued, “I wish I had realized it sooner. I wish... I could have told him I loved him.”

 

Seles took a deep breath, trying to avoid glancing at Colette. “I bet big bro would have fallen for you too.”

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this because my sister loves Kratos, so whenever we play together, we do the Kratos path. I, obviously, am a Zelette shipper. I don't like killing Zelos, so I decided to share that pain via writing.


End file.
